Notice Me, Horton
by lingering.memories
Summary: “Macy? Can you please look at me?” Macy lifted her head and finally looked him in the eyes again. He saw the tears welling in her eyes and said with a serious face, “I am going to this play with you.” Cute little two-shot. Nacy.
1. Horton Hears a Who

**Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS or Seussical, or anything affiliated with them. Just my words.**

**Notice Me, Horton**

**Author's Note: This is my first fic on this site, and my first JONAS fic EVER. I wrote it a while ago, over the summer when i was obsessed with the show, but its taken me this long to get an account because I had problems with my email address and stuff... So I hope that no one's done anything like this in the time between then and now.. I haven't checked.**

**Based on a dream that I had one night, so I had to write it down.**

**Enjoy! :)**

--

"I can't believe I'm crying over this. Wasting my tears over something so outrageously pointless is childish." Macy Misa thought to herself as she brushed away the tears that had been silently crawling down her cheeks. "It's just like mom always says, right Mace? 'Crying over spilled milk isn't gonna clean up the mess' " Macy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then exhaled, releasing the air and along with it the urge to let more tears fall. She sighed heavily and glared at the two pieces of thin, white paper she clutched in her palm, and then at the envelope containing the letter that had been sent along with them. She took the envelope and slowly tipped it upside down releasing the letter and letting it all into her lap. Unfolding it, she read the message written in the familiar messy scrawl again.

_Macy!_

_It's been way too long! I don't understand why I had to pick a boarding school with no access to computers or phones or anything. It's ridiculously hard to stay in the loop! Oh well, guess that's the price for wanting to be the world's greatest dancer._

_I would've written more often but they work us like dogs here! I've been dancing so much my feet might just fall right off_. _Haha. But I know, bad excuse, its not like I write with my feet. Forgive me for not keeping in touch as much as I would have liked to. _

_Anyways, the reason I'm writing to you (finally) is that I got the lead in the school musical! The LEAD Mace! I can hardly believe it! So you're coming. You have to! It'll be a good chance to catch up after the play's done. We'll go out! I'm enclosing two tickets. Bring Stella, you're always talking about her and I'd really like to meet her. Or hey-bring a date! I'll bring Jason and we can double! Yes, that'd be awesome!_

_So please come! Where and when are on the tickets. It's Seussical! You know how much we loved this play when we were younger! It's sold out already, but I'd feel terrible knowing that my oldest friend wasn't in one of the seats._

_Write back and we can discuss our plans for after the show! Oh Mace, I'm so excited!_

_Love, _

_Emily. Xo._

Two tickets. Why did it have to be two? She would have felt perfectly fine going by herself. She was a big girl, she could certainly handle sitting between two strangers. Okay, so the word "big" is used loosely. She may have been tiny, but she had always exuded confidence and a strong presence. When Macy entered a room, everyone knew it. She didn't _need _two seats. She was Macy Misa for crying out loud! She was independent, upbeat, and most definitely not in need of a date to a play. But looking at those two tickets shook her, because she realized that she had no one to ask, and just visualizing the only empty sat in the sold out show beside _her _made her feel, for some strange reason, smaller than she ever had.

She pushed the tickets rather forcefully into her jacket pocket, placed her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in the palms of he hands. She found herself staring at nothing through the transparent walls of the atrium, and wishing deeply that her free period would just end, so she could finish the rest of her day distracted by learning things she would most likely never need in later life (such as the parallel line theorem) and then retreat to the safe haven of her bedroom, where she could wallow in self pity and stare at her life sized JONAS mosaic in peace, alone.

--

Nick Lucas was just placing his books from his morning classes away into his locker and organizing his afternoon books into his bag when he saw her, sitting in the confined space of the school atrium. He quickly looked away, trying to play the "I didn't see you there, really" card. His morning had started off terribly. First, Kevin had set up his new alarm clock incorrectly, resulting in his waking up at three, four, five and six in the morning. Joe had taken all the hot water in the shower, _and_ his mother had forgotten to pick up another box of Crunchy Cats, so he was forced to eat Miniwheats. Mini. Wheats. He shuddered at the memory of trying to make the tasteless cubes of grain slide down his throat. Not only were they disgusting, but that cartoon wheat guy thing on the box was _creepy. _

Needless to say, this was not a particular morning that Nick felt he could tolerate being bruised, battered or bashed by a piece of sporting equipment at the hands of Macy. He slung his bag over his shoulder and prepared to walk in the direction opposite of her, when he chanced another look her way to see if she really was still there. He was taken aback by the image before him. He scolded himself for not paying attention earlier, for in front of him was a… downright gloomy looking girl. Her bottom lip was jutted out slightly, her mouth was forming an almost pout and her eyes seemed glazed over. He had rarely seen her so… so unhappy, the only other time being when she found out he and his brothers had lied to her about her singing. His stomach lurched at the memory they all still felt terrible about. Without even knowing what his was doing, his feet began to carry him towards the atrium.

"Macy?" The petite girl started and fell off the bench she was perched upon. Sitting on the floor and brushing furiously she met his gaze.

"Nick of JONAS?" she managed to squeak out. Nick chuckled at the display, then his expression turned into one of concern.

"I uh, saw you in here and you seemed kind of sad. I was just...well, I guess I was wondering if you were okay." He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck, nervous for a classic Macy outburst.

Macy's eyes widened with shock. "A member of JONAS wants to know if I'm okay," she murmured softly. Normally, it would have made her giddy. She would have shouted it, but today, she just wasn't in the mood. Realizing that a certain member of her favourite band was still staring at her awaiting a response she looked down at her lap and breathed, "I'm fine, technically"

"You don't seem fine to me, Mace"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, well, I guess I'm kind of upset."

"Wanna tell me why?" he prodded gently. Sighing, Macy reached into her pocket and retrieved the envelope containing the letter and thrust it into his face as an explanation.

"Read it."

Nick's eyes quickly scanned the piece of paper as he read it. When he was finished he refolded it and stuffed it back inside the envelope.

"I don't understand."

"She said I have to bring a date" Macy whispered, still looking anywhere but his eyes.

"She also said that you could bring Stella." She shook her head slowly.

"She failed her bio midterm. Grounded."

"Well, what about one of your parents?" Nick was determined to help her out.

"Second honeymoon."

"What's the problem with bringing a date, then?"

"I.. I have no one to ask…" Nick's eyebrows shot up at this.

"What? Macy, that's crazy. This school is full of guys who'd love to go see this play with you."

She scoffed. "Name one." There was silence as Nick realized he couldn't just name one off the top of his head, not really knowing the guys that Macy hung out with, and he was horrified when he discovered that this would make Macy feel even worse. "See?"

"No, Macy, really. You're smart, funny, pretty, athletic. Any guy would feel honoured to be asked out by you." A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips from being complimented by not only a male, but a Lucas brother at that, but it disappeared after she started to speak.

"Look, the guys I know from sports see me as 'Macy the teammate', not 'Macy the girl'. Someone you can joke around with and have belching contests in front of, not someone you'd take to dinner and a movie. The guys I don't do sports with tell me I 'come off too strong'. People tell me I intimidate them with my competitiveness, but that's not all I am." She sighed and fiddled with the envelope. " I just feel so bad being upset about this. I mean, I am so proud of my friend. It's always been her dream to do something with theatre and I'm ruining this great news with selfish sadness because I can't fill a stupid set. It's not like I even want a date."

"Then what is it?" Macy shrugged. "Macy, you can tell me".

She sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time. "I just... I started thinking about how long it had actually been since a guy had liked me as more than a friend and I guess I felt... lonely" she gave a hallow laugh. "Pathetic right?"

Nick shook his head and placed a hand on Macy's shoulder. "Not at all" Macy's breathing hitched. It wasn't everyday that a member of JONAS was actually _touching_ her. She willed herself to stay calm. She couldn't have another fangirl moment now. Not after getting through almost this whole conversation! "Macy? Can you please look at me?"

Macy lifted her head and finally looked him in the eyes again. Nick saw the tears welling in her eyes and said with a serious face, "I am going to this play with you."

Macy's jaw dropped and she had to fight to remain conscious. "What?!" He gave her one of his rare smiles.

"Well, I figure, friends don't let friends go to musicals feeling lonely. It's just not right. And it's win-win right? You fill a seat and I get to see one of my favourite musicals. Now cheer up, and enjoy the rest of your day, okay?" he grinned as she gaped at him, and frowned slightly as the bell rang. "I gotta get to class, I'll talk to you later Macy."

She smiled brightly as she watched him retreat into the hallways. "Wow" was all Macy could think before the world went black.

--

**Author's Note: So, its a LOT shorter than what I normally like to post. It's actually longer, but I felt that this was a natural break so I split it here. It'll be a two shot.**

**Reviews make my day, and sometimes my entire week. I LOVE feedback, even if its really short. *hint hint* :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!

**Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS or Seussical, or anything affiliated with them. Just my words. Oh, and the lovely character that I introduce.**

**Author's Note: Here's the end. Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed, favourited, alerted, etc. I wanna credit you all right here right now, but I don't wanna make this too long! Just know that every review made my heart sing. Really. I MEAN IT.**

**Hope you guys like it!**

1 week later.

--

Nick, decked out in an ill-fitting Lakers cap and Joe's turquoise Ray Bans trailed behind Macy as she quickly led herself through the (amazingly large) gothic style auditorium lobby towards the doors that would take them to their seats. She, unlike Nick, was clearly not in the mood for admiring the architecture or even the creative atmosphere that the building had about it.

No, she was intent on running in a public place. Running, for Pete's sake. She ignored the stares and disapproving glances from the people they passed, even when she accidentally ran into and knocked over a stand containing numerous programs. She merely picked it up, apologized profusely to the general crowd and rushed right along, blushing madly. It was quite a sight to say the least.

"Hurry up slowpoke!" She called cheerfully behind her as she neared the entrance

"Jeez Mace, you could at least slow down. We are in a theatre after all. Aren't we supposed to act at least a little dignified?"

She turned to face Nick and sighed impatiently. "I can't" she grinned and her eyes lit up, shining with childlike anticipation. "I'm too excited! All the greats perform here!"

Nick had finally caught up with her, slightly out of breath after sprinting a staircase. "The greats? I thought you said this was a school musical"

"It is," she paused to smile politely at the usher as they walked through the doors together and managed to find their seats without too much awkward shoving of their way through the people already seated. "but it's not just any school. It's one of the finest academies of the arts in the country. Dancers, singers, actors, musicians, whatever, they come from around the world to audition. The best of the best go here". She was smug as she settled into her chair and Nick noted (not for the first time that day) that she seemed considerably more enthusiastic about the outing than she had been the day she learned of its existence. She was so obviously proud of her friend.

"So it'll be a good show then?" Nick grinned.

"The best" Macy assured with a sober expression.

Their conversation continued for nearly a half an hour more with such ease that Nick nearly forgot that he was with his band's number one super fan. The only time she inflicted pain upon him was when she accidentally kicked him while crossing her legs. Even then, the pain was less than minimal. He started noticing that she had begun to call him Nick. Just plain-old Nick. And he liked that too. The title "Nick of JONAS" had always made him slightly uncomfortable, like being in a band made him better than everyone else. He smiled slightly to himself. He was glad that Macy was finding it a bit easier to be herself around him. Without all the fangirl attacks he was actually able to open up to her.

He discovered that they actually had a lot in common. They were both competitive and passionate about the things they cared about, they both took AP chemistry, and they both were insecure about one thing or another. _'Nick'_ he thought to himself happily, _'this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship'_

"Excuse me," Macy turned abruptly at the new voice to face its owner: a girl who looked to be about their age sitting behind them.

"Oh. Ashleigh, hi. It's… it's uh, great to see you again. Wow, haven't seen you in a long time… really long. You look good. How've you been?"

Nick's face turned stony as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Something about Macy's overly large smile and excited nearly incoherent babbling seemed slightly off.

"Macy, I thought it was you! You look good too. Hey, did you grow a bit?"

Macy's cheeks flamed and her eyes hardened, but she kept her smile in place and her chipper voice intact. "Yes. About a foot. We haven't seen each other since the third grade, remember?" Nick felt pride well up for Macy's reaction. He knew she hated it when people brought up her short stature.

"Huh" the girl smiled, with her brows raised in the way a person might do if they doubted the truth of a statement. "Well who's your friend, Misa?" She looked amused, and she eyed Nick up and down like he was a piece of meet.

Macy chuckled nervously. "He's...he's, uh… uhm, Ashley, I'd like you to meet my cousin. Freddie. He was visiting so I thought I would invite him to take a day trip with me and end it with, uhm, dinner and… Seussical." She glanced nervously at Nick.

"You look pretty well-dressed for a farm boy" she smirked down at him.

"Pardon?" Nick was both visibly uncomfortable at being addressed and confused at this turn of events.

"Macy said all her cousins lived on a farm out in the boonies"

Nick looked down at his outfit quickly. He had been told to dress casually. "I'm wearing plaid," he said defiantly.

"We went shopping!" Macy blurted out. "It was a good chance to use the birthday money grandma gave you, right… Freddie?" Nick nodded.

Ashleigh's face was doubtful but her voice was filled with pleasant surprise. "Macy, you didn't tell me you went shopping on your little outing". Her sweet smile was almost sickening and Nick was starting to get irritated. This girl was obviously trying to get a rise out of Macy by picking apart every thing she said.

Macy smiled weakly back at her. "I didn't actually think it was necessary"

"So you told me about eating dinner?" she laughed. Nick was staring incredulously. _'Evil, evil, evil!'_

"Well y'know, didn't want you to think we had bad nutrition habits or anything." Macy clearly needed a way out.

Ashleigh looked as if she was going to respond but Nick cut her off using his best hillbilly impersonation.

"It was nice meeting y'all, but we were kinda in the middle of somethin', so…"

"Right. Well I should go meet some friends" And without another word she got up and swiftly walked away.

Macy looked at Nick and laughed. "Nice voice, Billy Ray".

He glared. "Sh, I was just trying to help."

"I…know," she said in between giggles. He couldn't help but join in the laughter but quickly sobered and looked at her with his signature intense stare.

"Who was that?"

Macy sighed. "You know how every school has a rich snob who thinks she's better than everyone else?" Nick nodded. "That one ruled my old elementary school. She goes to Emily's school for sculpture now" she made a face at this. "We've always sort of gone through the motions to be polite and stuff, cause I saw her a lot when I visited Emily, but we're not friends. At all. You've seen how ridiculous she is. What _was_ that?"

"Oh" Nick seemed content with this. Then he remembered something. "Hey Mace, why did you lie about me?"

Macy just stared back, confused, brows knitted together. "What?"

"Macy. I would like to know your reasons for pretending that I am not who I am."

"Did you want me to tell her you're a famous rock star in disguise?" Macy's face was priceless.

"The disguise wasn't stopping you from saying it"

"She looked slightly taken aback. "Well..." she began and then paused, and scrunched up her nose trying to find the right words. "if I told Ashleigh she would have gone crazy. And then told everyone else. You would have been running from girls all night. I know how those fan girls can get, remember? I didn't want to put you through that. Especially not after you did all of this for me" she gestured to where he was sitting.

"Did you want to? Tell her, I mean"

Macy played with hem of her shirt as she answered. "To be honest, the competitor in me kinda wanted to" she chuckled lightly. "It would have been a good way to get back at Ashleigh. But you're not just a way to get back at someone. You're a person with feelings. A smart, funny, wonderful person who did _not_ give me permission to tell people. So telling her would have felt like I was betraying your trust. And that trumps me sort of wanting to any day. I could never do that to a… friend".

She looked up at him with wide eyes and he beamed at her.

How could he not have seen it? Macy had always been a friend to him. He just disregarded it because she was always, well, freaking out.

Something else occurred to him as he looked into her deep brown eyes. He knew it was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

"Mace, just one more thing" he whispered as the lights dimmed and the overture began to play.

"Yeah?" Macy whispered, only half paying attention, staring at the stage.

"Why'd you tell her I was your cousin?"

She looked at him, concern written all over her features. "Nick, are you losing it? I thought we just went over this"

He laughed, "No, I mean, why didn't you tell her we were on a date or something?"

Macy's jaw dropped, and she stared at him with wide eyes. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and it was all she could do to not squeal or start rambling. Date a JONAS? That would be a dream come true for her! But somehow, she realized, after today that dream seemed shallow. No, she couldn't date Nick because he was a member of her favourite band. She could however, date a _Lucas._ A nearly normal teenage boy who she had started falling for today.

But that couldn't be what Nick meant by his question. He was just curious, that's all. But still, why hadn't she said that? It would have meant a whole lot less explanation on her part. She suddenly found the padded armrest on her seat completely fascinating as she blurted out the first thing that popped into her head.

"Because you don't like me that way, and I didn't want to remind myself that you're only here because I'm un-dateable…I guess."

Her hands grew clammy with nervousness when she felt a hand gently cup her chin and turn her to face him.

"How do you know I don't like you that way?" Macy's mouth fell into an "O" shape, but before she could respond he bent down and gently placed his lips on hers. Instead of straightening back up after the kiss, he leaned forward so his head was near the crook of her neck and whispered, "And as for you being un-dateable… I wouldn't be wishing this was a date right now if you were". He placed a hand on either of her shoulders and leaned back so he could see her face.

Her eyes were closed and she was wearing a smile so big it took up most of her face. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked at Nick, still beaming.

"Really?"

Nick grinned. "Really."

Macy let out a soft squeal and without another word flopped back into her chair unconscious. Nick, used to her over-excited antics wasn't exactly worried so much as slightly concerned, but quickly adjusted her petite frame in her seat so she wouldn't be too uncomfortable when she regained consciousness.

As a girl dressed as a little boy picked up a familiar red and white striped oversized top hat off the stage, Nick was deep in thought. When he kissed Macy, something just felt _right,_ like they had connected on a level that he himself had never experienced before. All the other times he liked girls the whole relationship just felt rushed. He always moved things too quickly and let himself think he was in love with each and every one of them. More often than not, it alienated them and things ended seemingly faster than they began and it left Nick feeling lonely and heartbroken.

But it was so different with the petite jock next to him. He felt _comfortable_. Relaxed. And he knew that trying to be with Macy might be difficult, with her emotional outbursts, his touring, and her tendency to be surrounded by numerous objects that have the potential to harm certain rockstars. It could be challenging to say the least.

Nick glanced over at his unconscious friend next to him, knowing that he shouldn't be too concerned. Knowing Macy, she'd be awake and perky as ever in no time. Humming quietly along to "Oh, the thinks you can think" to himself, he couldn't help but think that that time couldn't come fast enough. He grinned.

After all, Nick Lucas always did love a good challenge.

"_I was just a no one only yesterday. _

_You showed up and showed me something more. _

_Now I've become a someone _

_Who has someone to believe in"_

--

**Author's Note: So, love it? Hate it? **

**p.s. the lyrics are from the Seussical song Notice Me, Horton. I thought they fit, and that is why they're there.**

**Thanks for reading, and if you feel so inclined, please review!**


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